On Location: Oscar contender 'The Artist' gives shout-out to L.A.

As a front-runner to win top honors in the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony, “The Artist” is a rarity. Not only is it in black and white, almost entirely silent and a French director's take on old Hollywood, it is the only movie among the nine best picture nominees filmed entirely in Los Angeles.

The 1960s civil rights drama “The Help,” another potential favorite for best picture, was shot in Mississippi; “The Descendants,” starring George Clooney, was filmed in Hawaii; and Martin Scorsese's “Hugo,” a whimsical tale about the early days of cinema, was produced mainly on a soundstage in the United Kingdom. “Moneyball,” starring Brad Pitt as Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane, was filmed in Oakland and various L.A. locations, including Dodger Stadium.

Only “The Artist,” however, filmed exclusively locally, giving star treatment to iconic Hollywood locations -- from downtown L.A.'s historic movie palace the Orpheum Theatre to the Hancock Park mansion where Mary Pickford once lived -- at a time when many productions are leaving the state for cheaper locales. The $14-million picture released by the Weinstein Co. took the top prize at the Directors Guild of America Awards on Saturday and a day later at the Screen Actors Guild Awards garnered lead actor honors for Jean Dujardin, who plays silent film star George Valentin.

“The Artist was not just a love letter to silent cinema, but to the city of Los Angeles as well,’’ director Michel Hazanavicius said recently at the Critics Choice Movie Awards, where the film picked up four top awards including best picture.

The L.A. City Council returned some of the love Tuesday when it presented Hazanavicius and other cast and crew members from the “The Artist” with its first “Made in Hollywood” honor. The city proclaimed Tuesday “The Artist Day” in a ceremony at Red Studios on North Cahuenga Boulevard, which represented Kinograph Studios in the movie.